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Arts & Crafts in Ladakh -

Here, a community of metal workers, said to be the descendants of artisans brought from Nepal inthe mid -17th century to build one of the gigantic Buddha -images at Shey, cary on their hereditary vocation. There is little tradition of artistic craftsmanship in Ladakh, most luxury articles in the past having been obtained through imports. The exception is the village of Chiling, about 19km up the Zanskar river from Nima.  Working in silver, brass and copper, they produce exquisite items for domestic and religious use : tea and chang pots, teacup - stands and lids, hookkah-bases, ladles and bowls and, occasionally, silver chorten for installa-tion in temples and domestic shrines.

Many such items, together with others recently introduced as part of the development process, are available in the District Handicrafts Centre at Leh, which exists to train local people as well as to market their products. There you can find, in addition to traditional objects, a few special items like pashmina shawls- rough compared withthose produced in Srinagar, but soft and warm as only pure pashmina can be ; and carpets in designs and techniques borrowed from Tibet. Similar carpets are also to be had at the Tibetan Refugee Centre at Choglamsar.

The Handicrafts Centre also has a department of Thangka painting. These icons on cloth are executed in accordance with strict guidelines handed down from past generations. In the same tradition are the mural paintings in the gompas, where semi-professional , both monks and laymen,, labour to keep the walls decorated with images symbolizing the various aspects of the Buddhist Way. The skill of building religious statues is also not extinct. The gigantic representation of Maitreya, was installed in Thikse Gompa as recently as the early 1980's.

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Tours To Kashmir/Leh Ladakh Himalayas India :-

Srinagar Tour (Soul of Kashmir)    Duration : 03 Nights / 04 Days	Day to Day Itinerary	Ask For Travel Details
Kashmir - Paradise on Earth    Duration : 08 Days Tour	Day to Day Itinerary	Ask For Travel Details
The Amarnath Cave- Holy Heart of India    Duration : 03 Nights / 04 Days	Day to Day Itinerary	Ask For Travel Details
Best of Himachal, Kashmir, Ladakh    Duration : 17 Days	Day to Day Itinerary	Ask For Travel Details
Leh Ladakh Tours| Ladakh the Last Leg	Day to Day Itinerary	Ask For Travel Details

Hotels in Kashmir                              Hotels in Leh-Ladakh

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